How To Paint Laminate Furniture Without Sanding

Why Do You Want To Laminate Furniture Without Sanding? Before you decide not to sand your furniture, you need to understand why people and furniture are in the first place. Sanding is needed to “rough up” the surface so the new paint can “stick.”

The target surface should be prepared for a new finish to skip the sanding process. There are two things to use, namely liquid sandpaper and Primer.

Using Liquid Sandpaper as sanding Replacement

Liquid sandpaper is a replacement for hand sanding. It is also called liquid deglosser. The main purpose of Liquid sandpaper is to soften the existing finish so it can hold a new coat of paint or sealer.

All liquid sandpapers have various ingredients depending on the manufacturer. However, they are a paint stripper. It softens the surface but not so much that it makes it comes off completely.

You need to understand that liquid sandpaper does not work the same way as traditional sanding. It won’t mend scratches or gouges. Its main function is to let new paint adhere. That’s all.

Using Primer To Stop “Bleed Through” Effect On Laminate Furniture

To make sure the surface you paint has proper adhesion between paint, Primer is used. It “Locks” stains to stop them from bleeding through.

Some paints don’t need Primer to apply. So if you need to hide the smell of old furniture, apply Primer first. You can also use Primer if you worry that the finish of old furniture might “mix up” with the new paint.

Steps To Paint Laminate Furniture

Here are the step-by-step methods to paint over laminate furniture with no sanding.

  1. Clean

The first thing to do is to clean the furniture surface with a damp cloth. Make sure all dust and dirt are cleaned thoroughly before you begin painting.

If necessary, you can use a cleaning solution product like Krud Kutter to clean the surface. It is designed to remove hard-to-clean stains and dirt and is suitable for laminating furniture.

To use Krud Kutter, mix one part of it with four parts of water. Apply the mix to your furniture surface and then scrub it with a brush. Then rinse the surface with clean water and leave it to dry completely.

  1. Sand

You won’t be using the traditional sanding method, but you’ll still need to roughen up your furniture to make Primer able to grip the surface.

A 3M 220 Grit Sandpaper can do the job. Just apply it over the surface lightly. Be careful not to do it too hard as it could damage the laminate surface. After you are done, wipe any dust residues left with a damp cloth.

  1. Use Primer

At this phase, it is time to apply Primer. Use a primer that is designed for laminate furniture. Apply the Primer using a paintbrush.

Do it by applying long, even strokes. Do not rush; apply it to all the nooks and crannies. Wait for the Primer to dry completely.

  1. Dry

Once the Primer has dried, you can begin the painting process.

  1. Paint

Before you begin, make sure to use a paint that is manufactured for laminate surfaces. You can use a roller or paintbrush using long even strokes. Make sure you also get to all surfaces, even the ones that are hard to reach.

Applying Topcoat on Laminate Furniture

After painting and the paint has dried, you can apply a topcoat to protect the finish. A top coat can also make the paint’s color more vibrant and give a shininess effect.

Use a wax topcoat or a clear polyurethane topcoat to do the job.

If you want to use a wax topcoat, buff it with a soft cloth after the surface has dried to add a nice shiny effect. Wax topcoats usually dry after 30 minutes, while polyurethane topcoats need up to 24 hours.

Best Paint For Laminate Furniture

There are a few paint types that you can use on laminate furniture surfaces. The best choices we recommend are latex paint or chalk paint.

Latex paint is made with acrylics to adhere to laminate surfaces without chipping or peeling.

Another great option is chalk paint, which doesn’t require sanding or priming before starting the painting process.

Milk paint is made with natural elements like lime and milk protein. It is mainly designed to grip onto surfaces like laminate.

You can use any color you like when painting your laminate furniture. A word of advice is to use light color if you prefer to make the grain of wood become “show through.”

Using dark colors can conceal the grain and make the piece look uniform.

Paints based on chalk and latex usually dried up after about 30 minutes. Oil-based paints, however, can take up to a day (24 hours).

Paint Over High Gloss Laminate Furniture

If you want to paint on high gloss laminate furniture, then you need to prepare the items mentioned below and do all the steps.

Here is the list of items to prepare:

  1. Screwdriver
  2. Deglossing Solution
  3. Multipurpose Household Cleaner
  4. Rubber Gloves
  5. Sanding Block
  6. Eye Protection
  7. Paint, Brushes, Roller & Rags
  8. Adhesive Paint Primer

Methods of Painting:

  1. First thing first, remove any drawers and doors from your furniture. Also, remove any hardware, such as cabinet knobs and drawer pulls. When removing drawers, number them so you can reinstall them in the same order quickly and easily.
  2. Prime. You can paint laminate furniture without sanding by using a good primer. You can apply latex primer to the surface. Look for a high-quality primer at the paint store or your local hardware store.
  3. The next step is to paint the furniture. You need to decide if you want the finish to be matte or glossy. Then look for latex paint with the finish according to what you want. You can get acrylic latex paint at a local hardware store or paint store.
  4. Varnish the surfaces.
  5. Let the surface cure and harden. You may leave the furniture for a week for it to cure (fully harden).

Can You Paint Straight Onto Laminate Furniture?

When painting laminate surfaces, you usually need a primer. However, some people said that chalk paints do not need a primer. What you can do is try and test it out yourself.

Paint using a little bit of chalk paint on the laminate surface. You can remove it easily if the color does not stick well on the laminate.

Next, leave it to dry for 24 hours. After that, do a scratch test. Scratch the paint off using your fingers. If it doesn’t peel off, you can tell that you don’t need to use Primer on that laminate.

Then you can continue to paint the rest of your furniture with chalk paint and no primer. However, you must apply Primer if the paint peels off by scratching.